Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 9:07 am Post subject: Where do we go now? The big news is here...

Please note that quantities will be adjusted as amps sell and are spoken for.

Eight years ago I opened shop at the persistence of a good friend. He was the first person other than myself whom I had modified an MTS module for. I can still remember it like it was yesterday: a Plexi Base Mod he still uses to this day. He insisted I had a talent and should be sharing it with the world rather than selfishly keeping it to myself. I proceeded to tell him he was crazy and there would never be a market for it. Four years later it was successful enough to make it my full-time gig. Eight years and over 2000 modules later, it was one of the best decisions of my life. He was certainly more of a visionary than I!

Fast forward to 2013. The modded module market has significantly cooled off. The consumer essentially has everything you could ask for out of the system within its current limitations. Myself and my fellow modders have stretched the hot-rodded preamp concept about as far as you can within reason and without sticking a different faceplate on one product just to call it something else. It was time for a change and to diversify. I began designing my own products, many of which are in progress and should see the light of day in the coming 1-2 years. I also began offering my services as a repair and modification shop with tremendous success.

Roughly one year ago I had a vision. I asked myself ?what would I have changed about the MTS amp line if I had a say in the design?? It?s a no-brainer really: for all of the money spent on custom modules over the years, why wouldn?t you want to play them through the best amp possible? An amp that would address all the complaints about MTS amps not measuring up to those made by other manufacturers. While I felt fairly certain there wasn?t much more you could offer a customer who already has thousands of dollars invested in modified modules, the amps that you play them through could certainly be stepped up a notch. I called up Joe over at Randall, bought up every single one of the remaining new amps they had left and started brainstorming the possibilities.

Nine months later I am proud to offer some very special amps that are without equal in the MTS world. It was a long road with countless hours spent designing, working with some of the best manufacturers in the US and testing my ideas. It?s with great pride I offer the best of MTS.

There are 17 amps available. I will not be modifying anyone?s existing amps until these are all sold, modified and out the door. Absolutely no exceptions will be made. There is great interest in these amps and most of my MTS customer base does not frequent this forum at all. I am announcing this here 48 hours ahead of the general public announcement to say thanks to this community for all of your support throughout the years.

Without further ado, here is a list of the features and tweaks:

1: Modified inputs on all models.
I have redesigned the entire front end of the RM50 and RM100 amps. I have re-tuned them, added a gain stage and a gain pot by the input jack to control the amount of boost. All the way down it adds virtually no additional gain but still provides the enriched harmonic content that another tube gain stage brings to the table. All the way up and it screams. A stock Plexi module with its gain set at only 10:00 can be coaxed to full on Quick Mod GT levels of gain?WITH THE MODULE GAIN AT ONLY 10:00! There is a huge palate of gain available here and far more than you can ever need or use. An added benefit is you can boost it here on the preamp and lower your module gain for a significant reduction in noise. This is an extremely powerful feature that not only expands your tonal palate, but provides many colors in between that were previously unobtainable.

2: Custom JFM Mercury Magnetics Transformers and Chokes
I worked very hard with Mercury Magnetics over the last 6 months to develop a custom set of transformers for every amp in the MTS line to my exacting specs. This includes the RM50 PT and a set for the RM20/22, all of which were previously unavailable. These are not the same as the handful of other Mercury MTS transformers they have available to the general public and are only available through Jaded Faith Mods. The improvement over the stock Taiwanese economy transformers is not small or subtle. The difference in feel, response, tone and power is the difference many of you complain about as what?s missing in MTS. The RM20/22 transformers are a significant improvement over the extremely poor stock set and a choke is added that the stock amp did not have.

Here is a comparison of the stock RM100 PT and my JFM RM100 PT:

3: Custom tuning of the power section
In addition to a cheap power supply, all MTS power supplies were tuned to be middle-of-the-road. I am able to fine-tune these amps for you. Whether you prefer a stiffer/immediate modern response or vintage-style sag, I will design your amp to your needs.

4: Adjustable Series Effects loop
A long-time bane of MTS users everywhere, the Series loop will now include both Send and Return loop levels. This will allows stomp box users to finally rejoice and use all of their toys without additional gear messing with their tone.

5: Parallel loop jumper switch
A switch is added to jumper the Parallel loop with no cable needed. This provides convenience to those who are fans of this boosting trick and a new sonic palate for those who did not know it even existed.

6: Foglifter Plus
Want to know what the Foglifter would have been if it wasn?t confined to a drop-in solution that the customer could easily install? These amps have it. In addition to the Foglifter Presence and Density circuits, these amps feature an adjustable Negative Feedback Control. You now have complete, unrestricted control over the tuning of your power amp and you are welcome.

7: Jaded Faith Amplification logo badge
These amps will be the first to feature the brand-new, all-metal Jaded Faith Amplification logo badge. I will be using these going forward on my own amps and products. They are quite beautiful and make everything else in my amp collection look cheap by comparison. As one customer who received a sneak peak noted, they are both sexy and masculine at the same time.

8: Graded and tested tubes in all positions
I am hand selecting, testing and grading every tube these amps are loaded with. The optimal tube will be placed in each position for the maximum sonic impact. A JJ 5751 will replace the 12AX7 in the phase inverter position, as I suggest in all MTS rigs. Custom tube requests are possible for an upcharge. I am a vendor for most tube brands.

9: Speaker options for combos
Through our partnership with Celestion (we provide amplification for their trade shows and several employees use our stuff exclusively, they provide Jaded Faith Mods with speakers for our studio and trade show rigs), all combos can be loaded with any speaker in their product line for an additional upcharge. A speaker swap can make the single biggest change to your tone, so this is a great opportunity to tap our expertise and get your amp sounding the best it can right out of the box.

10: Fully customizable cosmetics
Do you want a custom tolex, grille cloth or interior lighting to pimp you amp to the max? We do it all, including building custom head shells. Just ask about the options when placing your order.

11: Dual module RM100 Upgrades
A few months back, Bruce contacted me directly and sold me a handful of the RM100 conversion kits that allow the RM100 to accept dual Egnater modules. He is no longer installing these at his shop. I have 3, possibly 4, available. It is entirely likely these are the very last of these kits that will ever be available. These will only be sold in amps I have available in stock, not in customers amps.

Now for the specifics:

1: All amps must be paid for in full when placing your order. There is VERY high demand for these and they will not last long, particularly when the announcement is made to the world outside of this small forum. No exceptions.

2: All amps are first come, first serve. No amps will be held for anyone. When they are gone, they are gone.

3: Once your order is placed, the funds are 100% non-refundable. You may sell your spot in line to another customer, but very expensive parts are on order the moment you pull the trigger.

4: Turnarounds will vary for several reasons. There is a 7-10 day wait for the transformers to be built and shipped cross country starting from the day they are ordered. The labor involved is essentially 2 entire work days per amp, minimum. It requires completely stripping the chassis bare, performing the work, burning it in and testing. Based on volume, I estimate turnarounds to be between 3-10 weeks based on how soon you get in on this and where you fall in line.

5: Shipping costs will vary between $65 to $125 to the lower 48 states based on weight, distance and optional insurance requested. Add 4% to the total if using PayPal to cover their fees.

All of the concerns I discussed in that post are the main design points Mercury and I used over the past 6 months of R&D. The new set smokes the Chuang Meei junk and adds a Choke to the amp that it never had. I had an ear-to-ear smile the moment I hit my first chord for testing._________________www.jadedfaithmods.comhttps://www.facebook.com/JadedFaithMods
Email: info@jadedfaithmods.com
Authorized Service Center for US Music and Egnater
Authorized Reseller for Celestion, Scumback & Mercury Magnetics

Will you be offering a side by side comparison to give us an idea of the tonal change? Thx!

I had Mercury Magnetics in an RM100 and wasn't that impressed. Are yours tuned to your specs? If so, what is the difference between stock Mercury Mags and yours?_________________Matt Fig -
MotorCity Mods
www.motorcitymods.com

I am probably getting the transformer set for my RM22. I also have a RM4 running into a Simulclass Mesa/Boogie 295, of which I have no complaints. Do you think those RM100 power section mods can do anything for my RM4/295 system ?? or maybe I should just.... calm down?? _________________RM4, RT2/50, RM100, and a mod or 2.

I'm weighing the options here.. when I think about the costs of a new set of iron, a STEP pedal to make that piece of $hit loop usable, what I could get for my LB head with one module in it, I wonder if I should just bite the bullet and get a new amp from you.

Question with regards to the iron, I have built my own amps and have experience with trannie swaps in my JCM800, how complex is it to work around the Randall platform? If the choke is purchased, would you provide a basic schematic to show where it ties into the circuit?

Will you be offering a side by side comparison to give us an idea of the tonal change? Thx!

I had Mercury Magnetics in an RM100 and wasn't that impressed. Are yours tuned to your specs? If so, what is the difference between stock Mercury Mags and yours?

I'll certainly do my best to provide something, but I honestly can say I fully understand what it's like to be Bruce now. I am essentially a one man shop at the bench and have a wildly successful business that consumes most of my time. I work 12 hour days as is to keep up with my volume and it's tough to find time to noodle with videos.

That said, much of the transformer difference is far better experienced by playing the amp in a room with you. You have to feel it respond to you, crank it up to notice how it just gets better at volume rather than struggle to hold on. These are all things a video just can't convey, at least no video I've ever seen has done it. It should also be noted that these are complete sets made to work together, not just a OT upgrade. I am not sure exactly what you had in your amp.

I am probably getting the transformer set for my RM22. I also have a RM4 running into a Simulclass Mesa/Boogie 295, of which I have no complaints. Do you think those RM100 power section mods can do anything for my RM4/295 system ?? or maybe I should just.... calm down??

The transformer has to match the system requirements for the amp you put it in, so an RM100 transformer is unlikely to be ideal for your Mesa. As coveted as Mesa transformers tend to be, they are actually not very well built! I had a few discussions with those in the know about the Mesa guts and it confirmed a lot of suspicions I've had from fixing Mesas._________________www.jadedfaithmods.comhttps://www.facebook.com/JadedFaithMods
Email: info@jadedfaithmods.com
Authorized Service Center for US Music and Egnater
Authorized Reseller for Celestion, Scumback & Mercury Magnetics

Last edited by Jaded Faith on Thu May 15, 2014 11:23 am; edited 1 time in total

I'm weighing the options here.. when I think about the costs of a new set of iron, a STEP pedal to make that piece of $hit loop usable, what I could get for my LB head with one module in it, I wonder if I should just bite the bullet and get a new amp from you.

Question with regards to the iron, I have built my own amps and have experience with trannie swaps in my JCM800, how complex is it to work around the Randall platform? If the choke is purchased, would you provide a basic schematic to show where it ties into the circuit?

Ton of mods here though, I dig it.

If you've done a few swaps yourself, that's cool because you know what's involved. What I'll tell you is the MTS swaps are THE BIGGEST PITA I have ever done, and I install about 60 Mercury's a year. There are more taps than anything I have ever installed and you will have to remove the main PCB to drill new mounting holes (not typically the case on a JCM800). I'm pretty efficient and it takes me about 5 hours to do one amp.

All said, for what's being offered in gear, parts and labor these are a fantastic deal all said. Most of the prices are actually lower than these amps retailed for!

So just to be clear, the price for the amps does include the Mercury Magnetics transformers and choke? But the dual channel upgrade for the 100s is an additional charge, correct?_________________Synergy: SYN2, Friedman DS, HBE
Self Modded: Egnater B'Man, SL2X
Amps: VHT 2/50/2, RM50, Landry LS100 G3, Splawn Quick Rod, Marshall 6100LM

Last edited by MarcoR on Thu May 15, 2014 11:42 am; edited 1 time in total

So just to be clear, the price for the amps does include the Mercury Magnetics transformers and choke? But the dual channel upgrade for the 100s is an additional charge, correct?

Exactly. The amp prices above include everything EXCEPT upgrades to tubes, speakers or adding the one of the dual upgrade kits. I listed the transformer set pricing for anyone interested in just a set of the iron (particularly those overseas)._________________www.jadedfaithmods.comhttps://www.facebook.com/JadedFaithMods
Email: info@jadedfaithmods.com
Authorized Service Center for US Music and Egnater
Authorized Reseller for Celestion, Scumback & Mercury Magnetics

So just to be clear, the price for the amps does include the Mercury Magnetics transformers and choke? But the dual channel upgrade for the 100s is an additional charge, correct?

Exactly. The amp prices above include everything EXCEPT upgrades to tubes, speakers or adding the one of the dual upgrade kits. I listed the transformer set pricing for anyone interested in just a set of the iron (particularly those overseas).